Bruno Waterfield has been the Brussels correspondent for the Telegraph since 2007. He has been reporting on politics and European affairs for over 13 years, first from Westminster and then from Brussels since January 2003.

On Dublin's streets with Irish anti-EU Treaty protesters

Cliona Conneely – pictured here with her brother John during Dublin protests to mark the visit of Nicolas Sarkozy on Monday – is the skipper of the Inis MÃ³r fishing boat Maggie C.

Ms Conneely protesting over the EU's fishing policies

Her existence fishing the waters around the Aran Islands, like that of all Ireland's fishermen, is a day-to-day struggle with the European Union's Common Fisheries Policy and the powerful Irish bureaucrats that enforce it.

Cliona is the type of person that rational, democratic and progressive societies need. She is self-reliant, outspoken, committed and knowledgeable about her trade and passionate in the defence of its interest.

But her expertise and commitment, like that of people in many other walks of life, is now overridden by the technocrats and "experts" who impose the "we know best" rules and procedures of officialdom.

Here is Galway's Connacht Tribune on Ireland's only female fishing boat skipper: "There are few who would ever describe their job as "a vocation", but Cliona Conneely uses the expression and she means it. She loves being at sea."

"For 15 years, she has formed a life for herself around the demands of the fishing lifestyle. She has sacrificed much for her work out of respect for a family tradition and out of a deep affection for the skill of the work. But now, it is all slipping away."

"Much has been said about the fishing industry in Ireland in the past few months, but to talk to Cliona is to finally understand the bottom line on this complicated saga. The fishing industry in this country is beleaguered. Those who are still struggling to keep it alive feel as though they have been victimised by the EU and let down by the Irish government."

Cliona has a criminal record after being arrested under Irish legislation – since amended – implementing EU sanctions enforcing fishing rules. Under EU rules French fishermen are allowed to fish 16,651 tons of monkfish in Irish waters. She and other Irish boats are only permitted a catch of 2,128 tons, eight times less than that allowed to the French.

"We fish monk surrounded by French and Spanish boats. You are lucky to see one other Irish boat. We can not fish in our own waters," she told me. "But we do see a lot of the Irish Navy because it keeps busy intimidating Irish fishermen to enforce EU rules."

"Irish fishermen are the apex of an upside down pyramid that supports fisheries bureaucrats and inspectors who sit in their suits without a clue about what we do. If the Irish fishing industry disappears it is nothing to them. They are civil servants."

Adrian Bendon (above), who fishes out of west Cork's Union Hall, tells me how fishermen are under constant satellite surveillance. "It is big brother. We are the most policed people in the world," he said.

"We are treated like common criminals under the present system. But our boats are constantly monitored, unlike criminals."

As Dubliners headed to work and the shops on a sunny Monday morning, fishermen gave out free fresh cod to highlight how huge volumes of fish are dumped every day due to the mismanagement of quotas – if a boat out fishing prawn catches juicy cod like this, away it is thrown.

David Kirwan (above), who fishes out of Clogherhead in County Louth, highlighted the fact that while Ireland has 20 per cent of the EU's waters it only gets two per cent of the catch quotas set in Brussels.

"Ireland will vote No until we get fair play for our industry. Our government just pass the buck to Brussels," he said.

"Since we joined the EEC 35 years ago we have given away 200 billion euro in Irish fish to foreign trawlers. In the same time we got 50 billion euro in funding benefits. We have paid."

Some picture highlights from Dublin's anti-Lisbon protests

The French President's motorcade yesterday took a detour through Dublin's streets to avoid noisy and colourful protests from Irish farmers, fishermen, the far left and a frog.

One man dressed as a furry green frog had a simple message for the President of France: "Hop it Sarko. The people say 'no'".

The protester, who gave his name only as Kermit, to the confusion of French journalists who thought it might be a traditional Celtic name, insisted that while his frog costume was a joke the message was very serious.

"We're just having a bit of fun with the French. But this protest is about showing Sarkozy that he can't tell us to have a second referendum," he said.

The phrase, translated as "Get lost, you stupid bastard" became notorious in France when Mr Sarkozy used it to fob off a protesting farmer in February.

Michael, a French protester from Morbihan in Brittany (above): "There's no liberty and equality in France any more. Sarkozy is a bad and dangerous man. One day the French people will have to cut off some heads again."

Ireland's farmers were Mr Sarkozy's only friends in the crowd, demonstrating behind shiny new red, white and blue tractors draped in the French tricolour flag.

One Limerick farmer carried a placard beneath a pig's head saying: "Sarko say no to Mandelson. He has made a pigs ear of negotiations."

Padraig Walshe, President of the Irish Farmers' Association, was backing the French President against Peter Mandelson, the British European Commissioner heading world trade talks taking place in Geneva today.

"We wanted to cheer President Sarkozy as he went past," he said. "He has been very critical of Peter Mandelson. As holder of the EU presidency he is in a very important position to stop Mandelson's world trade sell-out of farmers."